Blogging has gained momentum in the last few years, gaining attention from internet users of all kinds. Whether you are an accomplished writer or a casual scribbler, chances are you have something to contribute through a blog.

A blog (web log) is generally a collection of written pieces on a certain topic. A topic that can be as broad as someone’s day to day life, or as narrow as a single ‘niche’ such as “Caring for an iguana” or “iPhone apps.” Using the tools available today, it’s no longer just an on-line diary, the role of blogging has expanded and now contributes to society as a whole.

Good blogs are updated regularly and structured in some organized fashion. Most blogs feature the newest post first and offer a way of getting to older pieces. Articles, or posts, are usually put into categories, as are favored links (called blogrolls at times). Most blogs also allow users to post comments on their posts and support a way of linking from one blog to another to reference a particular article (a trackback).

Content

Typically, a blog’s content would greatly depend on the topic it deals with. If you’re advertising something, perfume, apparel, or a vintage automobile, you could feature reviews of the products mentioned. Personal blogs consists of daily happenings, observations, comments about another’s comment.

Schools and universities can put posts containing write-ups regarding their campus’ historical background, faulty and subjects or courses offered. A blog should be updated daily to give readers reasons to keep coming back for more.

Human minds, and search engines, are always looking for something new, so be sure to add new content to your blog regularly.

Feedback

On most blogs, comments are very much welcome. Comments are a way of interacting with other readers and the blog owner, or writer. Bottom line: what you’ve written had an effect on a reader and aroused some opinions they wanted to share. Be glad you have a comment. At least someone has read your posts.

Some blogs moderate their posts and we generally agree with this. At the very least it will keep out the comment spam. Over-moderation will ultimately mean fewer comments and eventually fewer readers. I believe in moderating comments for two reasons. First to keep out spam, and second to keep out truly evil or mean, personal attacks. Welcome discussion and disagreement with your post, but don’t let it become an all out personal war.

Tools and Concepts

Blogging can be a hassle if you don’t know how the process works. What in the world does RRS, URL, blogroll, and all that jazz mean? How can I use it?

Here are some of the more common and important terms you’ll see relating to blogging. Feel free to leave a comment if you have any questions about these or other terms.

• Archives – past blog posts that may still be of interest to readers
• Blogrolls – categorized list of links to other interesting web pages
• Comment Spam – irrelevant comments posted on a web page containing to one or more domains for the purpose of creating backlinks or getting clicks. Usually the comment has no real value or relevance to the posting
• Downloads – files such as documents, ebooks, pdfs, pictures, music or video that can be transferred from a website to your computer or device
• Excerpt – summarized idea of the post usually having a part of the entire article
• Feeds – stripped down versions of the site, allowing readers to read just articles or content
• Guests – are the readers and viewers who visit your site
• Hosts – companies that provide server space and services for the “hosting” or publishing of a website
• Links – clickable words or phrases that, when clicked, open another website, or another part of the current site
• Plugins – components that when added to a site or blog provide additional functionality. For example, a “tag cloud” or photo gallery plugin can be added if the original blog software doesn’t support it.
• RSS – a simple way of spreading your blog content to other sites and allowing users to read it in different ways (see Feeds)
• URL – generally, the web address of a site. For example, www.InstalledForYou.com is this site’s URL

That covers some of the most common and frequently used terms. Remember to ask us, or use your favorite search engine if you come across a word you don’t know.